Japan Football(Soccer) Guide Blog

Tag: Head Coach

  • J.League Great Head Coaches Series(2) “Kenta Hasegawa”

    “You Can’t Call Yourself a J.League Fan Without Knowing These Names”

    Part 2: Kenta Hasegawa

    Do you know Kenta Hasegawa? Fans call him “Kenta” or “Hase-Ken.” Every Japanese football fan knows his name.

    He has been head coach for 624 matches in the J1 League. That is the all-time record in J1 League history.

    Start with His Record as a Manager

    Hasegawa has been head coach at four top clubs: Shimizu S-Pulse, Gamba Osaka, FC Tokyo, and Nagoya Grampus.

    At Shimizu S-Pulse, he kept the team near the top of the table every season. However, they never won a trophy.

    Then he became head coach at Gamba Osaka. The situation was serious. The club had been relegated from the J1 League — Japan’s top division — and was playing in the J2 League, one level below. Hasegawa quickly turned the team around. Gamba Osaka won the J2 League title and returned to J1 after just one season.

    Then came 2014. It sounds almost too good to be true — but it happened. In their first season back in J1, Gamba Osaka won three major trophies:

    • The Levain Cup (formerly called the Nabisco Cup — this is the main cup competition organised by the J.League, similar to domestic league cup competitions in Europe)
    • The J1 League (Japan’s top football division)
    • The Emperor’s Cup (a national knockout cup run by the Japan Football Association, open to clubs from all divisions — similar to the FA Cup in England)

    This was a historic Treble — three major trophies in a single season. The following year, in 2015, Hasegawa’s Gamba Osaka won the Emperor’s Cup again, claiming back-to-back titles.

    After that, he won the Levain Cup with FC Tokyo. Then he won it again with Nagoya Grampus.

    Four clubs. Multiple titles at every stop. That is extremely rare in Japanese football history.

    But There Is a Pattern Worth Knowing

    At every club, Hasegawa’s teams start strong. However, as his time at the club gets longer, performance tends to drop. Japanese football fans know this pattern well. Perhaps “Kenta Magic” comes with an expiry date.

    Two Legendary Stories

    Story 1: The Pudding Incident

    While serving as head coach at Shimizu S-Pulse, Hasegawa kept a custard pudding in the clubhouse refrigerator. One day, someone ate it. Hasegawa was furious, the story goes.

    Nobody knows if it is 100% true. But this story is still told among football fans today. It shows his intense attention to detail — and it is exactly the kind of story that makes you root for a person.

    Story 2: Running onto the Pitch

    In 2015, during the quarter-final second leg of the AFC Champions League — the Asian equivalent of the UEFA Champions League — Gamba Osaka were in a desperate situation just before the final whistle. However, minutes later, they scored the winning goal.

    Hasegawa could not contain his joy. He ran straight onto the pitch to celebrate. The referee immediately showed him a red card.

    It was a pure, uncontrolled moment of human emotion. And that is part of why so many fans love him.

    As a Player, He Witnessed History

    Before becoming a manager, Hasegawa played as a professional footballer — as a forward. He played in the Japan Soccer League (JSL), the national league that existed before the J.League was founded, and continued his career after the J.League launched in 1993. He also represented the Japan national team on the international stage.

    The most important moment of his playing career came in 1993. It is known as the “Tragedy of Doha.” Japan faced Iraq in the final qualifying round for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Japan were leading late in the match. They were seconds away from reaching their first-ever World Cup.

    Then, in added time, Iraq scored an equaliser. Japan’s dream was gone in an instant.

    Hasegawa was the player who created Japan’s opening goal in that match. He was one of the participants in one of the most painful moments in Japanese football history.

    Why You Should Know Kenta Hasegawa

    Kenta Hasegawa has been part of Japanese football history — both as a player and as a manager. He holds the record for the most matches as head coach in J1 League history. He won titles at four different clubs as head coach. He played in the Tragedy of Doha. And he gave us the Pudding Incident and the pitch invasion.

    If you want to enjoy the J.League more deeply, remember this name. Knowing Kenta Hasegawa is one of the best shortcuts to understanding the history of the J.League itself.

    Stay tuned for the next edition of J.League’s Greatest Managers Series.

  • J.League Great Head Coaches Series(1) “Akira Nishino”

    “You Can’t Call Yourself a J.League Fan Without Knowing These Head Coaches”

    #1: Akira Nishino

    You want to start enjoying J.League. Then first, you need to know this man. Akira Nishino. His nicknames are “Nishinon” or simply “Akira.” He has won more matches as a head coach than anyone else in J.League history.

    As a Player — A Hero On and Off the Pitch

    Nishino became a hero at the national high school football championship (Japan’s most prestigious tournament for under-18 players) during his school years. It was not only his performances on the pitch that made him stand out. He was also very handsome. Girls from other schools would board the same commuter trains just to catch a glimpse of him.

    After developing as a player, Nishino joined Hitachi FC (a company-sponsored football club — this was a common structure in Japanese football before the J.League was founded in 1993). He also earned a place in the Japan national team.

    The 1996 Atlanta Olympics — “The Miracle of Miami”

    The wider world learned Nishino’s name at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

    He was head coach of the Japan U-23 national team. In the opening group-stage match, Japan faced Brazil. That Brazil squad was called the strongest ever assembled. The roster included world-class players such as Dida (GK), Roberto Carlos, Aldair, and Bebeto.

    Everyone expected Japan to lose heavily. But Nishino prepared his team with detailed opponent analysis and careful tactical planning. The final score was 1–0 to Japan.

    This victory is still remembered as “The Miracle of Miami.”

    As a J.League Head Coach — Gamba Osaka’s Golden Era

    After retiring as a player, Nishino began his career as a head coach in J.League. He was head coach at Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka, Vissel Kobe, and Nagoya Grampus.

    His ten years at Gamba Osaka (2002–2011) were the high point of his career.

    Nishino’s style can be described in one phrase: ultra-attacking. He put attack before defence. He was not afraid of risk and always pushed his team forward. This style of football thrilled Gamba’s own fans. Even supporters of rival clubs felt a mix of admiration and fear when they faced his side.

    From his very first season, the team was in the title race. A long run of trophy wins followed.

    • 2005: J1 League champions. Runners-up in the J.League Cup (a domestic cup competition for J.League clubs, now known as the YBC Levain Cup).
    • 2006: Runners-up in the Emperor’s Cup (Japan’s oldest and most prestigious national cup — open to all clubs, from amateur to professional).
    • 2007: J.League Cup winners.
    • 2008: AFC Champions League winners (the top club competition in Asian football, equivalent to the UEFA Champions League in Europe). Emperor’s Cup winners.
    • 2009: Emperor’s Cup retained for a second year in a row.
    • 2010: J1 League runners-up.

    In those ten years, Nishino won the J1 League once, the J.League Cup once, the Emperor’s Cup twice, and the AFC Champions League once. He was the architect of Gamba Osaka’s golden era.

    Behind the Success — Clashes with Players

    The road was not always smooth for Nishino. He was stubborn. He never moved away from what he believed was right.

    That belief sometimes led to serious disagreements with key players. GK Ryota Tsuzuki, DF Toru Araiba, MF Fernandinho, and MF Akihiro Ienaga were all first-team regulars who left the club at different points.

    But Nishino never changed his style. And he kept winning trophies. This iron will may be the single biggest reason why he is remembered as one of football’s great head coaches.

    In 2011, after two trophy-less seasons, the club chose not to renew his contract. It was effectively a dismissal. But Gamba’s supporters still hold him in high regard today.

    Japan National Team Head Coach — “Ossan Japan” and the 2018 Russia World Cup

    After leaving Gamba, Nishino joined the Japan Football Association as technical director (responsible for overseeing coaching appointments and player development strategy).

    Just before the 2018 Russia World Cup, a serious problem arose. The Japan national team head coach at the time, Vahid Halilhodžić, was dismissed because of a breakdown in his relationship with the players. There were fewer than two months left before the tournament.

    Feeling a sense of responsibility as technical director, Nishino took on the role of head coach himself.

    He had very little time to prepare. To get the team working quickly, Nishino called up many experienced, older players. The media and fans mocked the squad as “Ossan Japan” — meaning “a team of old men.”

    But Nishino was not shaken. He quickly built a team using the attacking football he had developed at Gamba. Japan made it through the group stage.

    In the round of 16 (the first knockout round of the World Cup), Japan faced Belgium — then ranked number one in the world. Japan took a 2–0 lead. Victory seemed within reach. But Belgium scored three times in the second half and Japan lost 2–3.

    Japan had fought to the very end against the world’s best. That performance left a lasting impression on many fans.

    His Record and Legacy

    After the World Cup, Nishino became head coach of the Thailand national team. He was dismissed two years later and has not coached a side since.

    His 270 wins as a J1 League head coach are the all-time record. No head coach has broken this record to this day.

    Akira Nishino is essential to the story of J.League. His deep belief in attacking football, his ability to make decisions under pressure, and his mental toughness through repeated conflicts with players and clubs — all of these are the reasons he is called one of the great head coaches.

    “If you want to call yourself a real J.League fan, start by knowing Akira Nishino.”

    Next time: J.League Great Head Coaches Series, #2 — stay tuned.